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Businesses Prepare to Lose Money
By Abby Freedman
Gayle Nowicki of Gargoyles: "It's absolutely the worst time to do it." Sara Longley photo. |
In any metropolis, the word "construction" worries people. People start planning alternate routes in their heads, and stores immediately envision lost revenue. Yet, when it comes to renovating the Ave., most people wholeheartedly support any effort to change the basic connotation of the U-District: dirty, narrow sidewalks filled with street kids and panhandlers. Unfortunately, in an area known for small, independent stores, a loss of profits, even for the short term, can spell disaster. The question looming over the neighborhood is: Is it worth it?
An overview
The project began years ago, starting as a need for new utilities.
"The economic development is way bigger than the infrastructure [can handle]," said Teresa Lord Hugel, executive director of the Greater University District Chamber of Commerce. No one can put holiday lights on the Ave. because there would be a brownout. "[The renovation] is not just cosmetic. We want people to know it's infrastructure, too: water mains, electricity, sewers."
But soon, it became obvious that the cosmetic aspect was necessary, as well. To make the area more "pedestrian friendly," Hugel said, the sidewalks will be widened two feet on each side of the road. Each lane on the Ave. will be narrowed to compensate, thus maintaining the amount of parking spaces in the area. Bus stops will turn into bus bulbs - slightly protruding instead of slightly inverted. Finally, and perhaps most important in Hugel's opinion, pedestrian lighting will be installed.
"It's been very dark here," Hugel said. "There's a perception of lack of safety because of how dark it is. I mean, it's kind of creepy when it's dark."
The construction will focus on one block at a time, starting the week of June 24 and ending approximately 15 months later.
Going, going, gone... Sara Longley photo. |
Even one block at a time, the project is going to make shopping more difficult, and the chamber acknowledges that merchants may see less profit during construction.
"It's not going to be easy," Hugel admitted. "I'm not going to pretend it will be. But we're doing everything we can to mitigate the effects felt by local businesses."
"The chamber has been wanting [to do this project] for years," said Gayle Nowicki, owner of Gargoyles. "They don't care if it's absolutely the worst time to do it. They have to do it now or lose it, is what they told us."
Most of her customers come from outside the U-District, and Nowicki worries that the mess, noise and temporary loss of parking will deter shoppers, which could put her out of business.
"I don't think a lot of people realize the state we're in, how we're just getting by," she said. "I may have to just cut my staff out, but, then, if you reduce someone's hours then you have to give them unemployment."
Her brother Jay agreed. "If our business drops by 10 to 15 percent, then we're going to have to go out of business. I mean, I'm all for [renovation] in the long-term, but in the short-term there's going to be a couple more vacant windows on the Ave. I hope ours isn't one of them."
"Small business owners are always in the predicament of whether to stay in business," said Art Broche, the project's community liaison between the businesses and the City. "And when your cash flow is hit, it's particularly hard. [Small businesses] don't have deep pockets. We will learn a lot in the first six months. We're trying to minimize [any damage]. We hope to find it's not as bad as we thought it would be."
Matt Fox, president of the University District Community Council, is also thinking positive. He points out that most of the area's businesses rely on profits from students, who will be in the area regardless of construction.
The old Burger King location on 50th in the U District. Sara Longley photo. |
As far as he is concerned, though, the chamber is doing everything in its power to help soften the economic blow, including building foot bridges so that shoppers can access businesses despite holes in the sidewalks.
Meanwhile, some local businesses have also started planning around the construction.
"We are absolutely sure that we are going to lose some money," said Kian Pornour, owner of the Woolly Mammoth. "So we are making coupons for the three-month period that they're closing 43th and 45th. We're going to have a special, too: When people come in, they get 10 percent off."
Pornour says that losing money is worth it if the University District can be beautified. "We are the only neighborhood that hasn't changed in the bloom of the '90s," he said.
Come one, come all... They hope.
Of course, not all businesses want to hand out coupons, nor are they as tranquil as Pornour about losing money. So Hugel has been trying to plan the best ways to promote the Ave. and draw crowds during the renovation.
"We're going to do a lot more press releases and promotional events," Hugel said. "Some will be related to the completion of particular segments. Basically, we just want to make the public aware that something is going on, and that they should come check it out."
"The elements [of the events] are going to vary from block to block," Broche said. "We don't want to do the same thing over and over again. Part of it will certainly tie in to what's going on in the street. And we may have businesses set up booths - a miniature street fair, if you will. We've also talked about restaurants moving into the streets, with tables and music in the street. It really is pretty exciting."
Nowicki, however, doesn't share his enthusiasm.
"I hope [this PR] works; I pray it does," she said. But she remembers a recent event that fizzled out. "They did something in the winter with Christmas caroling, and no one came. I mean, I didn't have any extra customers, and I didn't hear anything. So if they just talk about it and don't do anything, nothing will happen. What they really need to do is promote it."
One thing Broche definitely wants to promote is the parking validation program in the area, hoping the realization that parking spaces still exist will encourage people to drive into the area to shop.
"Not a lot of people participate in the program right now," he said. "So this would be a good time to make it more uniformly utilized."
He also believes the construction may have a good effect, showing people the "hidden" spots in and around the Ave. "When there's construction at the intersections along the Ave., people will be looking for alternatives to get around. My guess is they never have been down some alleys and will say, 'Hey, I didn't know that was there!' There will be little parts of the Ave. people will discover."
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| Jessica | May 05, 2003 | Australia, NSW, Sydney | Student |
| Hi! I am a 12 year old girl in Sydney who wants to ifnd out more about gargoyles. I have a project to do and I have to find 2 gargoyles. I have to fing their name, location , date or peiod it was created and what it was made out of. Could you please contact me if you could help me or give me information. Thanks a lot for your help. I hope to hear from you soon. | |||
